--- title: Serial Season 2 : Internet Freakout description: The highly anticipated second season of Sarah Koenig's podcast Serial is finally here and the Internet is going crazy about it. canonical: https://time.com/4144297/serial-podcast-season-two/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-10T16:19:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:52.535Z og:title: 'Serial' Has Returned and the Internet Cannot Handle It og:description: The popular podcast will tell the story of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl og:url: https://time.com/4144297/serial-podcast-season-two/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'Serial' Has Returned and the Internet Cannot Handle It twitter:description: The popular podcast will tell the story of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # _Serial_ Has Returned and the Internet Cannot Handle It > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: TIME Covers: 47 Years of War and Hope in the Middle East [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Covers: 47 Years of War and Hope in the Middle East](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/r3PKM6pC.m3u8) (1:20)  _Published 2014-08-07. TIME Covers: 47 Years of War and Hope in the Middle East_  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Dec 10, 2015 4:19 PM UTC  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Dec 10, 2015 4:19 PM UTC The [highly anticipated second season](http://time.com/4144182/serial-second-season/?xid=time%5Fsocialflow%5Ftwitter) of Sarah Koenig’s podcast _Serial_ is finally here and the Internet is going crazy about it. As was rumored, this season will tackle the case of Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier who walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and was captured and held by the Taliban for nearly five years. > [](https://twitter.com/serial/status/674927271577300992) After the team at _Serial_ announced its release with a casual tweet and an email to subscribers on Thursday morning, people took to Twitter to express their emotions and thoughts about the upcoming episodes. **Many could barely contain their excitement:** > [](https://twitter.com/johngreen/status/674928404089561089) > [](https://twitter.com/ACassady%5FKSR/status/674944692233109505) > [](https://twitter.com/katbamkapow/status/674975380181295109) > [](https://twitter.com/evanmoody/status/674948978698493953) **While others cracked jokes about the series:** > [](https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/674960540888866818) > [](https://twitter.com/ErinStrecker/status/674959783695355904) > [](https://twitter.com/thebrandedgirl/status/674948667707527168) > [](https://twitter.com/alexsleepwalks/status/674975408606023680) **Others recognized the severity of the subject matter being discussed:** > [](https://twitter.com/MikeDrucker/status/674945218521755648) > [](https://twitter.com/rilaws/status/674971198367924224) **Even Rabia Chaudry, a lawyer who set in motion the events that led to season one, chimed in:** > [](https://twitter.com/rabiasquared/status/674945625377648640) The first episode of season two, “DUSTWUN” (or “Duty Status – Whereabouts Unknown”), is [available](https://serialpodcast.org/) to download now. ## Transcript The tension in the Middle East, develops into full scale war. [ MUSIC ] Heavy fighting between Israeli and Egyptian forces, along the Gaza Strip, as each side accuses the other of attacking first. [ MUSIC ] The two sides are hopelessly deadlocked. But the current scrimmaging is only a prelude to an all out battle, according to the [ INAUDIBLE ]. [ MUSIC ] You still have to go [ INAUDIBLE ] until my friend, President Sadat and I sign a peace treaty. We promised each other that we shall do so within three months. The US Marines brought their M60s. To Beirut on a peacekeeping mission. Upon their arrival they found a country which had been nearly destroyed. Israel was after its enemy. The Palestine Liberation Organization, which was now headquartered there. [ MUSIC ] Getting ready to hit back. 20 people died in the attack. Hamas carried it out. Israel is holding Yasser Arafat ultimately responsible. 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